Inclusion here does not endorse the veracity or quality of any particular item
– it just means I found it worth reading and reflecting on (even if badly conceived or poorly
written).

If you’re after the
unexpurgated (and reasonably unbiased) version, see Religion News Australia which
appears weekly on our website.

EDUCATION

Catholic schools in rich
areas to charge higher fees(Sydney Morning Herald) Oct 28 - Parents whose children attend Catholic schools in the more affluent
areas of Sydney will pay higher fees than those attending schools in poorer
areas, and the long-held policy of a flat tuition fee will be abandoned next
year.

Ron Williams versus the
school chaplains (Brisbane Times)
Nov 1 - Ron Williams has had two High Court wins against the school chaplaincy
program, yet the Abbott government is pressing on, writes Madonna King.

Other

School weighs Satanic
colouring book (The West
Australian) Oct 31 - The Satanic Temple has submitted a Satanic colouring book and two fact
sheets to schools in the US state of Florida, requesting permission to give
them out to students in January.

Letter from Sydney
sheikh sparked international drama(Sydney Morning Herald) Nov 2 - A letter written by a Lakemba sheikh stating that Sydney mother
Mahassen Issa was still married under religious law was the catalyst for her
being charged with adultery and bigamy while holidaying in Lebanon with her new
partner.

POLITICS

Parents face jail and
$34,000 fines under Jacqui Lambie's burqa ban proposal (Brisbane Times) Oct 28 - Muslim parents would be fined tens of thousands of dollars and face
jail if they make their teenage girls wear the burqa as part of Palmer United
senator Jacqui Lambie's bid to outlaw the headwear in Australia, despite a
Parliamentary research paper warning her proposed laws would likely be struck
down by the High Court.

Bill Shorten’s
description of Christians ‘wide of the mark’ (The Australian) Nov 2 - THE Australian Christian Lobby’s Lyle Shelton has said Bill Shorten’s
speech backing same sex marriage at their conference was “wide of the mark”
because of his characterisation of Christians as people who invoke God and
Bible to attack blended families and demonise people for who they love.

RELIGION
& SOCIETY

Al Qaeda threatens
Australian fuel supplies(Sydney Morning Herald) Nov 1 - Al Qaeda has urged jihadists to attack oil tankers in two maritime
hotspots that supply Australia with up to 70 per cent of its petrol, raising a
concern over the nation's near-complete reliance on imported fuel.